ChopperSim is a different type of simulation game, in that it will teach eager pilots how to fly, provide experienced pilots a real challenge, and give players the chance to compete against eachother. It is being designed, from the ground up, to be a complete action/simulation game with numerous detailed maps, plenty of different helicopters (each with their own unique characteristics), and both realistic and fictional weapons to make multiplayer a blast!

With 14 different helicopters, including the Bell Jet Ranger, Bell UH-1W Supercobra, Sikorsky/Erikson S64 SkyCrane, and McDonnel Douglas MD-600, ChopperSim will provide users with a chance to experience flying in a new way, each time they play. From urban rescue missions, to forest fire-fighting, players will enjoy many hours of exciting gameplay.

Additionally, players of ChopperSim will be able to download additional maps with totally new missions, plus add-on helicopter packs with new choppers to build up their collection. ChopperSim is being designed to be expandable, not only by The Render Engine artists and developers, but by the community that plays the game.

Current targets for the game include:

• 14 different helicopters
• 12 maps, including a sprawling city
• 25 single player missions
• Multiplayer games, including Capture the Flag & Dogfight
• AI controlled choppers
• Global pilot registry to track rankings

ChopperSim is in the early alpha stages of development, but will be moving into beta shortly. To get involved in beta-testing, please send an email to our beta testing manager. We'll get you signed up and start delivering copies of the beta as soon as it becomes available. We're also looking for talented contract artists to do some work, so if you think you have what it takes, please send sample artwork for us to review.

Stay tuned to The Render Engine for more details as they become available!

TEC3 is a MOD for Quake 3:Arena that was originally created to add the 4 runes (techs) back into Quake 3. Sure there had been many people already doing this, but we figured we should take a different route. Too many MOD groups were doing the same thing, over and over, and we knew that people didn't want to play Quake 3 because of it.

We aimed for a game that was fun to play, was addicting, and above all was geared towards clan players. We added features for remote server authentication and administration, match setup, and more. Additionally, we added a grappling hook (on and off-hand), and specific AI code to make the bots "aware" of the techs so they would use them "intelligently." Finally, we upped the ante on gameplay by adding 10 totally unique techs, each with their own special characteristic, on top of the 4 originals (AutoDoc, Time Accelerator, PowerAmp, and Disruptor Shield).

TEC quickly grew into an immense project that occupied much of our time. There's custom music, maps, graphics, effects, and more to make gameplay fast and furious. The problem, however, was time... In early 2001, there wasn't enough of it for us to finish TEC. We shelved the project for almost a year and a half, until some time in late 2002 when we attempted to revive the MOD and finish it.

Bugs in the latest release of source, from id, slowed development of what now became TEC3. Tracking the problems down and deciphering whether they were our code or id's (or a combination of the two) took a lot of time. We really just wanted to polish the game and release it, but it was becoming a nightmare -- so it was shelved again.

Well here we are in June of 2003, and finally we're going to release TEC3. It isn't complete, and it has some bugs, but is still the best damn MOD I've ever played. In fact, I re-installed Quake 3:Team Arena so I could play TEC3 and get some screen caps and a couple of movies. It still plays surprisingly well for a game whose engine was released in 1999, and should provide players with some real fun.

Additionally, we're going to release the source for TEC3 in a few days. We'd like a chance to clean it up and prepare a full installation with art, source code, sounds, and music. We'll be releasing the code under the GPL because we hope that someone will want to pick it up and finish it, or find something in there to use in their project. There's a lot in there that is how I learned Quake 3, and modding. As I worked through the years, developing the code, I refactored where I saw fit and left other code just because it worked.

We hope that you find TEC3 as much fun as we did to develop it. If you find you have problems with it, we'll attempt to help you (as we have time). But you have to understand that we're releasing it for free, and we won't be providing bug fixes or extensive support. If you like the MOD, drop us a line and let us know!